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Drowned in Sorrows
A short story taking place after Book 3 and revolves around Navlax as a lead-up to her appearance in a future story. Story She turned heads as she stepped through the doorway, although not for her beauty. That had been lost a long time ago. Everyone's eyes grew wide at the sight of what essentially resembled a demon from the darkest nightmares, sporting clawed feet, large skeletal-like wings and most noticeably the lack of any metal or biomechanical coverage on her lower right arm, rather instead raw metallic bone that glistened in the neon lighting. An ominous boom of thunder sounded outside as a bolt of lightning flashed in the background, dimly outlining the monster-like being like someone out of an old slasher novel. She growled, her tiny pincers hissing as she limped into the nightclub, surrounding herself in neon shades of blue, pink and green while pounding electronic music blasted in the air. Many sat at the tables scattered throughout, having conversations or just having a quick drink, while some others danced in the clearing to the beats of the music. Rain landed on the rooftop above, the distant pitter patters drowned by the heavy drums. The whole place made for an interesting atmosphere, an almost surreal one at that. Navlax made her way to the countertop where a Matoran was clearing multiple glass silverware with a cloth, aided by two Skakdi whom Navlax presumed were forced into working, judging by the glares and snarls they occasionally sent the Matoran. "Be with you in a second," called out the bartender as Navlax sat on one of the nearby stools. She glanced around the place, as if she wanted to make sure she wasn't being trailed. The bartender came up to her from his side of the counter. "What can I get you, er, ma'am?" he asked with a quick survey. There was a short pause before she eventually spoke, slamming her fist on the counter. "The strongest one you've got," hissed Navlax. The bartender's red and orange arms threw up in surprise and his eyes widened nervously behind his powerless Volitak. "A-are you sure about that?" stammered the bartender. "It's n-not exactly a pleasant expe-" "Just give me the damn drink. I don't care what it does, I'm past that point by now," replied Navlax, her voice rising slowly, her eyes steely. "...One second." As he went off to mix the unholy concoction, Navlax surveyed the patrons that surrounded her. Many appeared to be Dark Hunters, a few were Matoran, while a surprisingly large number of Vortixx, a select few female, others male, danced around long slender poles to the cheers of a nearly equal mix of male and female patrons. Many bodyguards, mostly Skakdi and Rahkshi of different armour colours, stood around quietly but bobbed their heads to the music, staffs in hand, all while a lone female wearing a Mask of Sound Amplification, as well as a pair of swirly-eyed goggles stood behind a table with buttons, cords and turntables surrounding her, nodding her head and occasionally pumping her fist to the drum rhythms as lights exploded in mesmerising patterns around her. The bartender, by this point, had come back, holding a glass full of a darkish red liquid which bubbled and fizzed. It also had a tiny umbrella sticking out of it as a garnish. Navlax stared into it, almost silently daring it. "We call this 'Makuta's Blood'. It packs quite a punch. Oh, and the toiletries are behind you to the right, just in case. We've had to clean up quite a large amount of messes before," explained the bartender, shooting a knowing wink at her before heading off to clean the kitchen. Navlax's blood boiled slightly at the name of the drink, but kept her cool. Navlax picked up the drink while the music behind her began to rise to a higher key, increasing as the glass neared her mouth. A deep, demonic voice sounded behind her. "You wouldn't dare." That voice. That damn voice. She stared down the fiery, ghostly image of Makuta Teridax. "You can't tell me what to do anymore. You no longer command me," snarled Navlax. The image gave a steely glance but vanished without a trace; a figment of her imagination, leaving only her and the glass in her hand to deal with, now almost at her lips. Oh, to hell with this, she thought as she downed the whole thing in a few rapid swallows, right as the bass note lowered. She immediately felt a headache, as well as multiple stomach pains. Her eyes began to tear up and her mouth began to salivate, but she grimaced through the agony and shook her head. She had been through worse, a few months before, when she was denied leadership of the Makuta when news of Teridax's death spread throughout the universe. She was used as a scapegoat and had been shunned by the Brotherhood. She had never felt so humiliated, so used, so betrayed. She'd been wandering planet after planet, taking ship after ship, almost aimlessly. Nobody paid any attention to her; to them, she was just another weary traveller, looking for a destination. She began to change herself, gaining a taller stance and larger wings. Her gauntlets were melted to forge new armour and she gained a pair of hook-like blades. Her mind also became more warped and torn, driven to the breaking point of near insanity. All of that came flooding back to her as Navlax began to scream in pain and anger. Her bloodlust began to sweep her mind and her fingers began to drum rapidly on the countertop. Her breathing became heavy and stilted. I could just murder everyone here, the Makuta of Water thought, a familiar twisted smile spreading across her face, her eyes twitching rapidly, her arms trembling, before shaking her head again and dismissing the thought. It was at this point that a black, blue and white-clad female strolled up to her with an almost flirtatious smile and a look of mischief in her blue eyes. What stood out about her was the large white claw that made up her left hand, as well as the translucent blue spikes that jutted out from her upper left arm. "I take it you're not feeling well?" grinned the newcomer. Navlax's only response was a mix of a growl and a groan. The newcomer giggled in sympathy before offering her hand. Navlax slowly took it and the female began to lead her away from the bar countertop. "Where... are we... goin'..." slurred Navlax as her head began to spin in directions she didn't even knew existed. "I'm taking you to lie down. Trust me, you'll need it," winked the female as the two slowly headed up the nearby wooden staircase to the upper levels, hand in hand, Navlax leaning on the female for support, her wings thwacking against the ceiling occasionally. That was when Navlax's vision went hazy and for the next few hours, everything was dark. --- Sunlight streaked in gently through the windows, occasionally hidden by the darkened clouds above. Navlax slowly stirred, her head splitting, her stomach still reeling from the drink. Blackness gradually gave way to a room painted in shades of tan and white, weathered wooden boards laying out the floor. A small bucket lay in the corner, catching drips from tiny leaks in the roof. She eventually pulled her senses together and realized she was lying down in a bed, wrapped in a few sheets of cloth. She rolled over, her retracted wings smacking against the frame, and ended up staring into the sleeping visage of someone who looked rather familiar, surrounded by several claw marks shredded into the sheets. Navlax blinked once before she immediately crawled out of bed, panting heavily, forgot about the sheets around her body and fell to the floor with a thud. The mysterious female slowly awoke from the sound, rubbing her eyes with her right hand before glancing at the admittedly humourous sight of Navlax on the ground, covered in various sheets. The female nearly laughed, but kept it to herself. She propped herself up on one arm and her eyes wandered over Navlax. "Oh, good, you're awake again. You're certainly fun to be with at night, you know," said the female with a certain tone to her voice that made Navlax slightly unnerved. "I don't understand," grumbled Navlax, hissing as she tore the sheets off her and stood up, her legs wobbling, her talons clenched to the boards. "Well, let's just say we had quite a time here," said the female, accompanied by a wink. Navlax's eyes widened in realization before she looked away in shame, something she hadn't felt since he was alive. A jolt shook her stomach before an unholy combination of alcohol and bile, mixed with swirls of blood splattered onto the wooden planks. The female smirked at this. "You do know the bucket was right there?" "Oh, shut up," replied Navlax, wiping her mouth before thinking back to the female's earlier comment. Her blood-red eyes glanced uneasily at the female, twitching and blinking in a near trance. "Please tell me we didn't actually..." "Oh my goodness, no, I'm just teasing with you," laughed the female. "You're a very heavy sleeper, though." "Oh, thank the stars," muttered Navlax under her breath as she clutched her head and moaned quietly. She felt like death, but she almost welcomed the agony. The female sighed, out of breath, and got out of bed, walked over to Navlax and placed a hand on her shoulder, the one that wasn't a giant mutilated claw, her fingers moving almost like a spider, up and down. "Besides, I had fun. Maybe we can have more fun, Navlax," purred the female. "Wait, how do you-" "Aren't we all supposed to know each other? Or are females exempt to that?" "I've never seen you before in my life. Who are you?" "Call me Makuta Vynria. I have control over lightning." Vynria. That was a nice name, one she could definitely get used to. "Vynria, if I may..." began Navlax, a sly grin beginning to form, an idea beginning to spread. Vynria tilted her head and looked at Navlax curiously, an eyebrow visibly raised behind her Kanohi. "Have you ever wanted revenge?" Vynria laughed again. "Many, many times. Why do you ask?" "What do you say we go get some? There's a place I know where I'm sure they'd love to have us." "What place do you have in mind?" asked Vynria, her claw moving up to cup Navlax's mask lovingly. A slight grimace on her face, Navlax hesitantly took Vynria's other hand in her own. Their fingers gently intertwined. Navlax's smile grew wicked as she spoke the name of the location she'd been dying to visit ever since she left. "Xhio." To be continued... Characters *Navlax *Vynria *Ta-Matoran Bartender with Volitak *Bar Patrons **Skakdi bodyguards **Rahkshi bodyguards **Vortixx dancers **DJ with Mask of Sound Amplification **Skakdi bartenders **Multiple Dark Hunters (mentioned) **Multiple Matoran (mentioned) Trivia *This is Maccy's first story centered around Navlax. *The DJ is a nod to Canadian producer Rezz, whom Maccy enjoys listening to. *Maccy had been thinking of ideas for this story for some time. Soundtrack For better effect, listen to the following songs while reading: *Imaginary Friends - deadmau5 (Navlax's entrance) *Edge - Rezz (Describing the club, "Rezz's" appearance) Category:Stories